How to Pray for Protection from Evil People - Psalm 5 (Psalms 5)

2:57Cain killed Abel. Why? Because his deeds were righteous. And there was something in that that inflamed Cain. There was something about watching Abel and God's regard and favor for Abel and his sacrifice. And there just this hatred sprung up, and he killed Abel. And so there is this hatred that we see rising against God himself, against the God of the Bible, and then those who believe the God of the Bible or believe the Bible, they become the flashpoint for the conflict.

3:42And so we see that culturally. We see that happening. How do we pray for that? How do we pray when a political party's platform has taken positions absolutely contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture? Barbaric in many ways. How do we look at this onslaught of evil that is systematically codifying it? How do we respond? How do we pray when evil starts to abound? And then, on a personal level, you're going to encounter this as you go through life. You inevitably. Going to run into situations where evil people come against you or out for you. And so, how do we pray for that? So, how do we pray in those circumstances? Because inevitably, we find ourselves in challenging circumstances surrounded by arrogant people who lie and who have no problems with bringing other people down.

5:01How do we pray for that? How do we pray in the midst of that? Well, David was no stranger to those kind of circumstances. And so we're going to look through at Psalm 5 and just walk through very, just take some steps right through Psalm 5 and look at how David handled it, and then we'll just talk through it and understand how we are to relate, and certainly in light of New Testament truth, but also understanding how David, one who scripture refers to as God's own heart, after man, after God's own heart.

5:41And there is a tendency just to skip these types of psalms, but it's good for us to dwell, to think, and to understand what's happening because it is very much applicable and there's a lot of instruction for us. Let me just read to you Psalm 5, and then we'll work our way through it. Verse 1, Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my groaning, give attention to the sound of my cry, my king and my God. For to you do I pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice. In the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

6:27For you are not a God who delights in wickedness. Evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes. You hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies. The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in fear of you. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness, because of my enemies. Make your way straight before me. For there is no truth in their mouth. Their inmost self is destruction. Their throat is an open grave. They flatter with their tongue. Make them bear their guilt, O God. Let them fall by their own counsels. Because of the abundance of their transgressions, cast them out, for they have rebelled against you. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice. Let them ever sing for joy. And spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord. You cover him with favor as with a shield. So, how do we pray for protection from evil people?

8:00Well, six steps: six exhortations. First of all, cultivate a pattern of prayer. How are you going to pray for protection from evil people? Well, first of all, you need to cultivate a pattern of prayer. You need to be a person who is acquainted with prayer, who is in the pattern of prayer. And don't just be somebody who shows up when you are in a panic, but be somebody who is in a pattern of prayer. Cultivate prayer in your life. Look at verse 1. Give ear to my words, O Lord.

8:45Consider my groaning. In other words, cause my words to have a hearing in your presence, Lord Yahweh. Consider my groaning. Give attention to the sound of my cry. So you get this picture of this prayer chamber. Early morning. Give ear. Distinguish my groan. You distinguish. You consider my groaning. Give attention. Incline yourself to the sound of my cry that is my outcry for help, my king and my God, for to you, and really only to you, do I pray. And I am praying, and I will pray. O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice. In the morning, I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. So here he is. You get this pattern, you get this daily pattern of prayer. He's there in the morning praying. And it's interesting how the ESV translates a Hebrew word here. In the morning, I prepare a sacrifice for you. Now, some versions, what does it say? I will pray to you. I will direct a prayer. The word is actually, I will arrange, I will set in order. I will set in the morning, you will hear my voice, and I will set in order to you, and I will watch.

10:24And it is, if the word for if the image here is. Sacrifice, and it seems to be very consistent with the use of the term. In the morning, I prepare a sacrifice for you. And you can picture David, morning sacrifice, I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch. In other words, you get this picture of this morning sacrifice coming and arranging his affair. Now, you could be this idea that he's arranging order before the Lord as a basis of entrance, as a basis of coming, as a rightness of coming before him. I am arranging, I am setting things in order. I come before you orderly.

11:21And certainly, he's directing his prayer. He's arranging himself. He's presenting himself rightly before the Lord and watch and watch. So you get this picture of him coming in morning after morning, developing a pattern, coming before the Lord on the basis of the Lord's sacrifice, basis of sacrifice. He's coming in, he's arranging himself, and he is watching. Of course, we know that as we come before the Lord, we come before him. Him and setting first things in order. It is to come on the basis of a pure sacrifice. I think about the basis of sacrifice that God would prepare. You can imagine being under the covenant that David was under, that literally you'd have to go and make a sacrifice and watch.

12:21And you think about today how a perfect sacrifice has been made for us. You think about when Abraham was about to offer up Isaac and was told, don't take your son. The Lord Himself is going to provide, right? And so ultimately, the Lord provides a sacrifice. And you can imagine what went through for that ram. You could take back that ram that was caught in the thicket that was offered there, Mount Moriah, instead of Isaac. You can think about all that took place in that ram's life. From the very moment that lamb came into the world and grew and went about his business, all arranged for one moment that he would be caught in the thicket and then be that sacrifice that the Lord provided so that Abraham and stopped Abraham from offering his son. Well, you think about just how the Lord, our Lord, Jesus, was.

13:30Was born and was prepared for sacrifice. Every detail, everything's just arranged perfectly for the perfect sacrifice. And so, as we come before the Lord, we do have a pattern of prayer based upon the sacrifice, a perfect sacrifice that has been prepared for us. And so, we come on that basis, we come in a right order before Him, and we cultivate, we are to cultivate this pattern. So, that's the first thing. Just as you begin with anything, you cultivate a pattern of prayer. How to pray for protection from evil people? Well, first of all, make sure you're in a habit of prayer.

14:27Second, understand God's progression into judgment. Understand God's progression into judgment. Look at verse 4, 5, and 6. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness, evil may not dwell with you, the boastful shall not stand before your eyes. You hate all evildoers, you destroy those who speak lies, the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. Now, those are strong words, right? And they are biblical truth. And they should cause a little bit of fear, right? A little bit of reverence. We would like for it to, we would like to maybe not say it this much. God loves liars. He loves, he's got a good plan for those who are wicked. And yeah, evil can dwell with you. We tend to start going that direction, but when you read, just listen to, look at this progression. It's almost like you see God in his chamber, if you could allow me that liberty, God in his throne, in his chamber. And verse 4 speaks about his inward disposition. For you are not a God who delights in wickedness. Evil may not dwell with you. So just in your own chamber, in your own throne room, just your internal disposition, you do not delight in wickedness. And the word there for wickedness involves what is wrong, that is crooked ethically and And what is, you just don't delight in that. That's not where your passion is. That's not where your favor is. You do not delight in wickedness, and evil may not dwell with you.

16:51And then you move to verse 5, and you see this progression. Now we're kind of looking at that: okay, who can come into his throne room? We can see the verse 4 shows maybe an inner disposition of God, but then in verse 5, the boastful shall not stand before your eyes. They can't, the boastful, that arrogant, arrogance, you see that what he despises? Pay attention. God does not, those who are proud in heart, proud in mouth, proud, they shall not stand before your eyes. That is, they shall not come into your presence. They're not going to be allowed there.

17:36And then these words, you hate all evildoers. That's strong language. You hate them all. We might want to walk that back and start bringing in texts, other things, and say, well, no, he doesn't really hate them all. He loves them all. In fact, he and now listen, you hate all evildoers. And the word for evildoers, there, or the really, yeah, the word for evildoers deals with practitioners, practitioners of evil. The arrogant, your eyes, you hate all practicing, doing, plotting iniquity. That is, those who are doing, setting their minds and hearts in the path of iniquity. That is wickedness, or that which leads to in it emptiness, vanity, whether legal, whatever it may be. But there is this idea of evildoers, those practitioners. That's what he hates. Those who are practitioners, who are progressing in their practice of evil, and have no regard for the Lord, and have no heart for turning away from, but are practitioners. Okay, so that's what you hate them all. Let this sink into your minds. You hate practitioners of evil.

19:26They cannot come to your presence. Now, look at verse 6. You destroy those who speak lies. So verse 4 is the inner disposition of God. And verse 5 is about those who can come before the presence of God. Verse 6 is about God going out and destroying. So this is where God, you destroy those who speak lies. You go out and destroy. The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and the deceitful man. So you see, this progression is what the Lord does not delight in. Those who practice cannot come in. And those who speak lies, bloodthirsty, deceitful man, he will destroy. A day is coming. And so that is the character of God. That is what is real.

20:30Now, the good news is there's such or some of us. And he calls all men everywhere to turn away from this, to repent, and to turn and to kiss his son, to take refuge in him. And you will have your sins forgiven like that. But those who progress and he destroys. But notice the three. Sins that just rise to the top out of these verses. What are they? It's the first one you see there. Wickedness, yeah, let's talk about specifically character. Yeah, that's a pride, yeah, boastful, liars, and the what?

21:22The bloodthirsty. Thank you. You see that you see the wickedness, the deceitful. You see that, I mean, you see the wickedness, you see the evildoers, but specifically pride, deceit, and the bloodthirsty. So, friends, I would just looking at this, understand what moves God and how He progresses into judgment, because this is the world we live in, and this is what moves God to come out and destroy. That is His character. So, understand the progression into God's judgment. First, cultivate a pattern of prayer, verses one to three. Second, understand God's progression into judgment.

22:14Number three, seek safety in the Lord. How to pray for the protection from evil people? You need to seek safety in the Lord. Look at David's words in verse 7. But I, through the abundance, Of your steadfast love will enter your house. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. So, in verse 3, you get this sacrifice being prepared, prayer, and then it's like you need a sacrifice. Why? Why do you need a sacrifice? Well, because, God, you don't delight in wickedness. And so, I've got to come in on the merits of someone else, and I can't stand before you except through the abundance in verse 7 of your steadfast love. I have no right to enter in on my own. I can only come in because of your steadfast love, your loving kindness. That's that Hebrew word, Hesed, that covenant faithfulness, because of your loyalty, because of your goodness and your compassion. They don't even know how to translate that word because it packs so much. But it's the characteristic of the covenant, faithful, loyal God to his people.

23:38And it's abundant, but through the abundance of your faithfulness and your mercy, I will enter your house. Friends, where is safety in judgment? Well, you see, God's righteous judgment, it's coming. This is the character of God. Where do you flee? You flee to the Lord. You flee to the Lord and his abundant, steadfast love. I will bow down toward your holy temple in the fear of you. So I will revere, turn to, bow down. So safety is in the Lord. So what do you do? How do you pray for protection from evil people? First, you cultivate a pattern of prayer. Second, you understand God's progression into judgment. Third, you seek safety in the Lord. And four, you pray without hypocrisy. Pray without hypocrisy.

24:51Look at verse 8. Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness. Because of my enemies, make your way straight before me. So this is David's prayer. This really becomes the center point of the psalm, really, is, I will enter because of your loving kindness. And then in verse 8, lead me. You must lead me in your righteousness. Lead me. You must lead me in your righteousness. So here's David. saying, make my, because of my enemies, because of those lying in wait for me, lead me in your righteousness. Don't lead me in their way, don't lead me in the wicked, lead me in the path that pleases you.

25:52Cause my rightness is what the Hebrew, cause my rightness, cause my way to be straight, cause my path to be your path. That's his idea. Make your way straight before me. Cause me, cause that straightness. In other words, David is not praying a double standard here. It's important to understand this. Certainly in this psalm here, he's not praying a double standard. Lord, favor me, but don't favor them, even though I do the very same things. Like David's saying, I know your character, I know your nature, I know your progression into judgment. Don't let me be in that way, but lead me away from it. And so he's not praying a hypocritical prayer. In other words, Lord, take them out while I practice the same things. That's not what he's doing here.

27:00I know the way that they are in is the path of destruction. It is what invokes your wrath. So I don't want to be in that way. And so I come and I call you to lead me in the way of your righteousness. So you don't have to take me out with them. So when you're praying in these, when you're surrounded by difficult circumstances and conflicts, make sure your prayers are not hypocritical, that you're not guilty of the very things that you think your enemies are guilty of against you.

27:47So how to pray for protection from evil people? First of all, cultivate a pattern of prayer. Second, understand God's progression into judgment. Third, seek safety in the Lord. Four, pray without hypocrisy. And five, recognize who they are sinning against. Because ultimately, this isn't about you or me or even David, as he will express here. And boy, and this is where he goes on a tirade. Look at this in verse 9. For there's no truth in their mouth.

28:23No truth. Now, he's already said, God, we know how you're disposed to deceitful. You don't like liars. Their inmost self is destruction. Their throat is an open grave. Boy, now that's a picture. An open grave. The stench, the smell, you got decaying bodies in there. Death is there. And what a picture of the enemies that are coming against David. But it's not just about David. They are liars. They are bloodthirsty. They are full of pride. They flatter with their tongue. And here's his prayer. Make them bear their guilt, O God. Let them fall by their own counsels. Because of the abundance of their transgressions, cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.

29:21So they are sinning against the Lord. So as David is praying, he is saying, number one, I recognize you are a God of truth. You are a God that does right. And you do not, you abhor, and you're against the arrogant, you're against the liars, and you are against the bloodthirsty. Lord, let me not be part of that. Because those who do that are rebelling against you. That's the source of conflict. Mankind in rebellion to you.

30:04And so it's important when you, even today, as we try to bring application to our world, to understand what's going on in the hearts of those who are coming up against those who name the name of Christ and what's going on in their heart. They are rebelling against God. We just happen to be the flashpoint for that conflict. And most of the conflicts we get in aren't really, for us, most of the conflicts we get into, we're not being persecuted like they are around, like some of our brothers and sisters around the globe. Most of the conflicts we get into, a lot of them are our own doing and our own sin and that kind of thing. And just because you have somebody against you in the workplace doesn't mean it's because you're righteous.

31:01But sometimes it is. And certainly this is what David is, we're talking about here in those instances where you are just despised because you are aligned with God, because you name his name. And so, but ultimately, they are sinning against God. So this isn't a personal issue between you and them. This isn't a, you know, whether it's politically or whether it's cultural. Or whatever it is, or morally, the issue is not a personal assault against you. It's really an issue against God.

31:44So, how do you pray for protection from evil people? First, cultivate a pattern of prayer. Second, understand God's progression into judgment. Third, seek safety in the Lord. Fourth, pray without hypocrisy. Fifth, recognize who they are sinning against. And sixth, rejoice and leave it in God's hands. Look at verse 11. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice. Let them ever sing for joy and spread your protection over them. That those who love your name may exult in you. For you bless the righteous, O Lord. You cover him with favor as with a shield.

32:31So rejoice. So take refuge. There's that whole refuge concept again. The one who's wise, the blessed man at the end of Psalm 2 is the one who takes refuge in the Lord, and specifically his king. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice. Let them ever sing for joy and spread your protection over them. And look at this phrase there, verse 11. That those who love your name, May exult in you. Now, all of a sudden, this shows a little more light into David's prayer. He's not just praying about himself, is he? He's praying about the cause of righteousness. And he is concerned about those who love righteousness. He wants righteousness to be vindicated so that those who love God's name will rejoice. So this isn't just all about David. He's praying for the cause of righteousness that God would defend the righteous, confuse the unrighteous by their own counsels, let whatever they, let their own counsels fall upon them. Let them fall by their own plans.

34:01But he's saying that, but you protect, you lift up your cause, that those who love your name may exalt in you. So David is jealous for the name of God to see it magnified. And so he champions the cause of righteousness. Prays for it. For you bless the righteous, O Lord, you cover him with favor as with a shield. So, all this, what David's doing as he's going through here, he's praying for God's name to be vindicated.

34:49He's praying that God's name not be shamed in his people, but it be vindicated, that God Himself will vindicate His name specifically by upholding those who have taken refuge in Him, namely Himself and those with Him. And so, when you get to the end of a psalm like this, where there's precatory messages, understand what's going on here is really the vindication of righteousness and God's name to be glorified. So, how do you pray? Cultivate a pattern of prayer. How do you pray for protection from evil people or in circumstances that are contrary to a just cause? How do you pray in those circumstances? Well, cultivate a pattern of prayer. You be a prayer. Second, understand God's progression into judgment. Understand his character and what drives him to. Judgment. Seek safety in the Lord. Four, pray without hypocrisy. Don't make this about, don't ask God to have a double standard.

36:10Fifth, recognize ultimately who they are sinning against, which is God, and recognize or rejoice. Once you've prayed, rejoice, leave it in God's hand, because He does, He does surround and bless the righteous, and His cause will be vindicated. And you can trust in that and go to sleep. So, any thoughts? Observations? Questions? Yes, sir. I think it's important, especially as we relate to the Pregatory Psalms. Yes, all your points are absolutely valid and great. I think how we pray those things have to have a lot of humility, given I think the nature in which David wrote this. Well, he wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So it's, we don't quite, I mean, we don't quite have that level of authority, I think. So the humility in which we apply to the way that we pray about this kind of thing needs to be like pretty awesome.

37:27Sure, sure. And even understanding when you Start coming into New Testament truth, it's pray for your enemies. Understand that there's got to be the spirit of humility, there's got to be the spirit of loving your enemies. And it's like, well, it doesn't change the fact that God hates the proud, opposes the proud, and is against the lies. So then the prayer becomes very much: look, if you continue in this way, you start praying for a change of heart, you start changing for God's mercy, and you start dealing with Him in love towards Him for the purpose, you are on a path that you will meet God in judgment. And I don't want anybody to be under the wrath of God for eternity. And we see that when you certainly, as you start looking at holding this intention with some of the New Testament teachings, certainly Christ, you see this, no, I don't wish hell on anybody. I do pray that the cause of the righteous would prevail, even in this land, even as in all manner of politics and government and all that. I do pray for God's righteous standards and righteousness to be vindicated and that his people would be vindicated and not slandered.

38:53But at the same token, and thank you, it's number one, I am not. Omniscient, and I could have planks in my own eye, so a spirit of humility, but also in a spirit of love for even those who are enemies, because such were some of us. And so, good. Any other question that kind of goes with what James is saying? I don't know, I just need clarification on this because it's always been a little confusing. Is you know, these are preparatory prayers incorrectly. From what I understood, this was under the Mosaic covenant, and this was being under the new covenant. So now we are to love your enemies, pray for your enemies. And so, do we, this has been a confusion, I think it's our question.

39:58Are these for us? I think we were to love our enemies even in the old covenant. I don't think the character of God is really, but you certainly have a direct command there. What I believe is happening here, that this psalm is probably connected with the previous, probably dealing with Absalom's rebellion, and sort of where many people go with this. You can't say that explicitly, but you've got to remember an attack on David. David was an attack upon the Davidic dynasty. It was an attack upon the covenant that God had said, I will establish my king through David. So in many ways, it's a yeah, it's an antichrist before Christ comes on. It is, and so fundamentally, they want to change the king. They want to and so it's an attack.

41:04But yeah, I would say there are principles in here that are applicable to us. But like James was saying, yes, we want to be careful. We're not David under the old covenant. And God has not made a personal covenant with us, securing our kingdom. And that's where I think it's not against our kingdom that's at issue here. Yeah, so but good, yeah, it's you read some of these, you're like, well, still, there's truth about who God is here. He does hate pride, liars, lying and bloodthirsty, and it's like, Lord, don't let me be one of them. You know, move away from that. So good.

41:47Yes, ma'am. So you're saying that today, i instead of praying for our enemies to be destroyed, you know, to to pray that they would be Show the way of righteousness for us to forgive them. Yes, yes. And I would say you boil it down to a vindicate the cause of righteousness. That's valid. Change their hearts. That's a, you know, vindicate them that way. But also, I don't think there's anything wrong with praying. And I think we should be, don't let their cause prevail.

42:27I think about abortion on demand. I think we should be praying strongly, Lord, don't let those lawless, bloodthirsty liars, you look at the whole abortion industry, how it came about, liars, bloodthirsty, profiteers, arrogance. And yeah, we should, Lord, we should not want that to prevail. But yes, recognize that such were some of us. And so, yes, we pray for the vindication of righteousness by people turning to Christ and being forgiven and experiencing the love of Him. So, yes, we are praying. We are to love our enemies, we are to pray for them, and we are to hope that God would show His mercy and that they would and also not be afraid to say, but Lord, I don't want to see their cause advanced.

43:33I think it's still very valid in the prayers where they confuse you're our enemies, and the plans backfire and go amiss. All those are still quite valid. Yeah, very much. Not to ever take up arms or to develop a hostile heart, because it's ultimately not between us and them. It's really an issue between them and God. And I think David picks that up. What's going on is they've got issues with you, God, and that's why I'm feeling this. And so ultimately, we do good to those who persecute us, harm us, or are honor.

44:15I see another hand. Yes, sir. Like you said, these psalms reveal things about God to us, about how he about his feelings toward the wicked. And that's important because there's a lot of folks today who would say that that's not the case. Well, here it is in black and white. God's feelings toward the wicked. Secondly, whenever I'm reading through the Psalms, one of the purgatory psalms or one of the proverbs where it talks about the fool or the simpleton or the wicked, before I imagined who else that might be, try to remind myself that's me.

45:02And I don't want to grow in this direction. Help me to grow in the right. Well, good. I think this thing's about over, right? At least I think they're having fun over there, so maybe we ought to head over there. But let's pray. Lord, we give you thanks for your goodness, Father. And we just thank you that what you've given us in these Psalms is real honest humanity going through the most difficult circumstances in life. And Father, we just thank you for the journey that they take us down, even though we don't have to go through things as intensely, perhaps. But Father, we're very familiar with the thoughts. They resonate because we just are human and we can understand and relate. So, Father, thank you that you've put humanity in the raw right before us. And Father, help us to turn to you, to seek safety in you, to rejoice, and to be able to just leave everything in your hands, trusting and rejoicing that you indeed are going to take care of your own. You indeed are going to vindicate your righteousness. And that's not something we have to do, and it's not something we have to feel like is personally an attack on us.

46:28We want to stand in your way. We want to be identified with you. And so, Father, just thank you. Be with us this week. And I pray for everyone here tonight that you would bless their time. Give back the time that they've committed to you this day. Give it back to them this week in blessing and just a straight path and productive work and all that. Father, I pray for all the students that are here, and I just pray that you would multiply their time as they have given this time to you. I pray that you would give it back to them blessed in the week to come. In Jesus' name, amen.